The European Dimension of Regional Emigration: The Case of Molise, Italy

Hard-hit by emigration overseas between the end of the 19th century and the first decades of the 20th century, the Molise region has also recorded massive emigration in the decades following the Second world war. But which Countries currently host the greatest number of people from Molise? To reach the first aim of this work, we identify the municipalities and areas where emigration abroad has taken the greatest toll, with amounts to a full-blown exodus. Contemporary, as second aim, we look for recognising the main communities which continue to keep alive the memory of a difficult and hostile past which forced several hundreds of thousands of inhabitants to leave, especially from the interior and mountain areas. We hope that a similar analysis will be able to support cultural and tourist iniziatives in order to rekindle historical memories and reestablish relations with expatriated Molisans.